


Mac & Cheese

by Bazoops



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Detective!Mal, Eventual Romance, F/F, Government Conspiracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 05:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20334559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bazoops/pseuds/Bazoops
Summary: Mal Bertha lives in a Society free from almost all crime. The United States of Auridon is the heart of this perfect Nation and inaugurate of to the Reconstruction: a Nationwide security system initiative that has placed the world in a safety net of complete Government protection. As a Detective in such a society, Mal's life has become a sequence of going through the same motions day after day. But who is she, or anyone, to complain in such a perfect world? As the saying goes, if it's not broken, don't fix it.But perhaps things are not as perfect as they seem. As a series of seemingly impossible anonymous incidents begin to sneak through the Reconstruction's systems, Mal finds herself drawn into the light of just how imperfect the world has become.





	Mac & Cheese

7-11 was the last familiar chain still operating in the year 2099. Perhaps this is why Mal preferred to stop in to the convenience store as much as possible. Maybe it was the feeling of nostalgia that it gave her. She could remember holding her mother’s hand and looking up at the familiar electric-neon hues of green, yellow, and orange. It always seemed as though the entire store was buzzing with pure and undefined energy. Sometimes, if they had the money to spare, her mother would even let her pick out a special treat for tagging along. 

Her co-workers often remarked that this was an odd habit, and oftentimes questioned why she frequented the store so often.

“I just don’t get it, Mal,” her department’s deputy had chuckled. “There are so many better options than that old, beat up joint. ‘Specially since the great reconstruction. Hell, you could do it yourself without that oddball stop-in shop and just use your at-home delivery sequence.”

Mal’s city of Alturis, Auradon was a moderately large area with a population leaning towards 250,000 people. Despite their vast numbers, it was rare to see more than one hundred people out and about over the course of a day. The streets occupied practically no cars, as they were victim to the post-reconstruction introversion.

Truthfully, the absence of people had not bothered her at first. That had lasted all of two weeks, thanks to her upbringing.

Growing up, Mal had been blessed with the most attentive and kind role model a young girl could have asked for. Elena Jarvis, a single mother of one. Mal watched day by day as her mother struggled to keep them along in life. However, her mother made education an absolute priority. As other children would arrive at school with the latest technology or the newest popular brands of clothes, she simply focused on maintaining the best grades and enjoying her own second-hand belongings. To her, they were not used, they were well loved. She did not want the new, because she found value in the old.

Additionally, Mal found entertainment for herself in the radio. Not just any radio, but a tried and true wideband radio. She had found it in the local junk lot three roads down from her Mom’s apartment complex. With a long number of nights spent tinkering away and a whole lot of luck, she had managed to repair it into working condition. So began countless evenings sitting and listening to the low chatter of Officers and Detectives alike go about their day to day business. It was exciting for her, listening and imagining the chase. Picturing the dark, jet black night skies splattered with electric, flashing blue and red; Mal was entranced by it all. She wanted nothing more than to someday be a part of the action. She wanted to be a Detective.

Even though they never had much to spare, Mal knew that her mother was constantly trying to put a little extra towards her daughter’s future. The day was May 8, 2088, when Elena had surprised her with a pristine porcelain colored envelope.

“Go on, Malie,” she had said. “Open it.”

The parcel itself was particularly thin, yet somehow, Mal had known this would be a monumental moment. For the past few months in their house, things had been very strained. Their most recent trip to the doctor’s office earlier in the year had revealed that her mother had a limited amount of time left in her daughter’s life. Mal could perfectly remember the way her mother had tilted her chin up and wiped away her tears on the first day of the chemotherapy. Elena had spoken in a soft, wispy voice. The light never left her eyes when she spoke about how she was not gone yet, and she would “stay kickin” until they had to take her legs too.

Tearing at that sealed envelope had been an emotional release for both of them. It seemed as if the paper itself was screaming encouragement at her, begging to reveal what hid within. As she finally unveiled the envelope’s contents, she felt an overwhelming rush of tears spring to her eyes. Inside had been a check for five thousand dollars.

“Momma, I can’t take this!” Mal had gasped through her tears.

Her mother had looked up at her, eyes glistening with tears, before tilting up her daughter’s chin and speaking with the utmost confidence. “Yes, you can. You will. You will take this, and you will make something of it, something worthwhile.”

She would never forget that day. It was only days after that she signed up for a dual enrollment plan in the local community college. Her dream of being a detective was going to come true. It had to come true.

So, here she was. Almost ten years later, Mal Bertha had made it. 

“Bertha, come check out my new high score in Wingy Dove!”

Yeah, she had made it alright. 

The truth is, with all of the latest advances in technology, crime was practically unheard of. Her role within the Alturis Police Department was one of special operations investigations, but there was nothing to investigate. Security systems were held to a national standard since the Reconstruction in 2075. Considering all of this, their police force was more of a public comfort for the people. 

In the early years of the twenty-first century, the world had fallen into political and social crisis. Mass shootings were occurring at an almost daily rate. Children, adults, and the elderly alike were all falling victim to countless losses. It seemed as if every day had to be lived in fear and anxiety of all the horrifying possibilities of humanity. Then the year of 2075 came to dawn a new era. The United States met George Manahan, a Middleland-born idealist with radical ideas for reconstruction. He proposed an entirely technology-based security system on a National level. With the Nation’s attention in the palm of his hand, he quickly found a position of power within the Auradon Capital Presidential Office. As this was the highest standing position a leader could hold within the Nation, Manahan had access to pure executive order. In a matter of thirteen years, the reconstruction was completed. His security systems were built to recognize every citizen to their Nation Security Card and proper identification. Security towers with a three-hundred and sixty degree camera radius and nano-second facial recognition software were built every twenty square miles. By his decree, any and all illegal immigrants were forcefully removed from the United States of Auradon. The majority of government spending was allocated towards federal holding facilities, prisons, jails, and the incorporation of the necessary technology. Crime vanished almost over night.

Ever since this time of reconstruction, there had been a personal disconnect within the Nation. Manahan had also supported the advancement of many at-home technology aids. He believed in using technology to simplify the everyday life of Auradonians. Both grocery and leisure shopping could be completed at the simple push of a button.

By the time midnight rolled around, Mal was clocked out and in the driver’s seat of her squad car in an instant. She pulled out of her parking stall and began on her way to the 7-11 right across the street from her apartment. It took an exceptional amount of self-restraint not to turn on her lights and siren in order to arrive there sooner. 

As a child, many stores had carried the brand Kraft. One could walk into the doors of any supercenter with the utmost confidence that the familiar blue and orange box could be easily found. However, now there was only one place that still held the packaged macaroni and cheese, and that was 7-11. As Mal pulled in the front stall in the convenience store parking lot, she barely took the time to glance around the remaining empty stalls. She was on a mission to obtain her favorite midnight snack. It was no matter, though. She knew they would all be barren, as the people of this generation preferred to shop from home. 

The familiar electric chime rang in her ears as she walked in the front entrance of the store. Her eyes briefly roamed over the expanse of white walls and colorful shelves. A cacophony of nostalgia came over her as she was enveloped by the electric buzz of the air conditioning mixed with the smooth jazz pouring from the loudspeakers. To any other person, all of these details would be considered irrelevant and promptly looked over. Not to Mal. This was her safe place.

Stepping out of her reverie, Mal walked over to the packaged goods section where she knew the snack-size packages of macaroni and cheese were always held. As she rounded the shelf, she was met with an unusual site. A woman, looking to be around her age, was standing in the middle of the isle. With one hand, she held a can of spray paint. Her other hand hovered dangerously over the last package of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

It took everything in the detective not to whimper in frustration. What were the odds that somebody else would happen about this 7-11, at midnight, of all times, and grab the last package of macaroni? She could not help the disappointed sigh that escaped her lips. However, she immediately regretted the action, as it caught the attention of the other girl.

She was the slightest bit taller than Mal, maybe half an inch or so. Her hair was a deep navy blue, a stark contrast to the detective’s own blonde locks that perfectly complimented her electric green eyes. The girl was dressed in what was clearly her casual attire, and Mal felt out of place in her formal uniform. 

“Can I help you?” the girl asked, a deep, husky accent clear in her voice.

Mal felt a blush rise onto her cheeks. She imagined that she looked quite odd lingering at the end of the isle as she was.

“No,” she replied.

“Why are you staring at me then?”

“I wasn’t-I just, I thought the odds were slim that somebody else would come in here after a package of mac and cheese. Especially considering it’s midnight and I’ve never seen anybody else here at the same time as me for some five years or so,” Mal rambled.

To her surprise, the girl laughed in response. It was a bright, twinkly kind of laugh and the detective couldn’t stop herself from letting the smallest smile creep onto her face.

“Well, Officer,” the girl spoke, pausing and looking towards Mal with an expectant expression. 

“Bertha is the official name on my badge, but just Mal please,” she offered. “I am actually a Detective, not an Officer.”

“I see,”

“It’s alright. Easy mix-up, yeah?”

There was a short pause before the stranger spoke up.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she finally began, “but what is a Detective in full uniform doing at 7-11 at this time of the night?”

“That,” Mal said, “is an excellent question.”

“Well, are you going to answer it?”

“I come here pretty often, actually. This store is the only place in town that sells macaroni and cheese. Well, at least, the only store that sells Kraft macaroni and cheese.”

“That is some commitment, don’t you think?”

Mal knew that another Detective, or any individual really, might have been offended or put off by the woman’s statement. However, she could not find it in herself to do anything other than laugh at the stranger’s brash words. 

“You look familiar, Detective. Have we met before?”

“I don’t believe I would have forgotten you in the chance we had,” said Mal.

“Hm,” the other girl clicked her tongue, the corners of her lips turning upwards.

A quiet but shrill beeping interrupted their conversation. It was the woman’s watch. Mal watched curiously while the stranger fiddled with it before looking up at her sheepishly.

“That, unfortunately is my cue,” she huffed and made to walk away from the detective. Before she could round the aisle, she turned around to address Mal one last time. “The macaroni is on me, detective. I hope I’ll see you around sometime again here soon.”

She waved her unit card over the self-checkout as she passed the counter on her way out. With a final farewell flick of her unoccupied hand and a quick cheeky wink, she was gone.

Mal couldn’t help the warm smile that crossed her face. It had been so long since she had experienced a face-to-face interaction like that. Of course, she spoke to her co-workers back at the station everyday, but it was different. This girl was different.

The crackling static of her radio drew her attention away from the kind stranger.

“Detective Bertha, this is dispatch. Do you copy?”

“This is Detective Bertha, I copy,”

“Bertha, we need you on site at Farl’s bank on 88th,” came Chads’ voice through the static.

“The bank? Why would you need me there?”

“Someone robbed it clean, every penny. And get this, the only thing dispatch found was a box of mac and cheese. What a loon, am I right?”

Mal silenced her radio after affirming her estimated arrival time with Deputy Marks. There was a certain spike of adrenaline she felt teeming underneath the surface of her skin, seemingly generated directly from her heart. Marks’ comment had left her slightly jarred. The fact that someone left a box of macaroni and cheese was a chilling coincidence. Considering that she had not been out on the field in five years, she decided not to let it phase her.

Wanting to get to the site as soon as possible, the detective quickly grabbed her macaroni and ran towards the 7-11 exit. 

The sight of her squad car stopped her dead in her tracks.

A message had been hastily spray-painted across the black and white vehicle.

_ Catch me if you can, Detective Mal Bertha. _

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my second AO3 piece and I am so ecstatic about it! I have had this concept in my notebook with a different pairing for a while now, but I have been so obsessed with Evie & Mal lately and I just couldn't help but write it with them. After a bit of contemplation, I have decided it will definitely be a multi-chapter piece, so hang tight for more chapters! I really hope that you enjoy the chapter, all feedback is so appreciated :)


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